Custom & Replacement Parts for Rare Cars

Over 41 Components were built, sanded primed and painted for this ultra rare Lotus 340r.

August 8, 2016

The Lotus 340R was an instant hit as a concept car in 1998, so popular in fact that Lotus decided to produce 340 of them Between 1999 and 2000. In 2009 EVO Magazine named it the 2nd best drivers car ever produced, just behind the $1,250,000 Pagani Zonda F.

Eleven made it to the United States, This particular car #256 was the last one imported as a “track only” car.

Over 41 components were 3D printed by CIDEAS to demonstrate the feasibility of creating custom and replacing original parts on rare vehicles. Spare parts are becoming increasingly scarce for cars with low production numbers and prior to 2002, very few cars were designed using 3D solid modeling software.

With 3D Scanning becoming more readily accessible and easier to use, spare and custom designed parts are now possible for complex components. The rear deck-lid, fenders and rear wing of this car were 3D scanned using 3D Systems® Capture® and Geomagic® Studio software. The deck-lid was further modified once the surface was captured and now includes an enormous cold air intake and vents. The wing was exaggerated even further to create more down-force and the fenders modified to reduce weight.

Printed using 3 different processes, parts were sanded primed and painted to highlight CIDEAS finishing skills, as well as, highlight the importance of all major 3D printing processes.

As 3D Printing has become more mainstream, more responsible publications are now carefully reviewing the use and coverage of the industry. Our Lotus 340R became the topic in this recent article in 3D Printing Industry in which Davide Sher weighs in on the importance of 3D printing and its relevance in vehicle manufacturing.